Warriors: The Return
by Silwyn Galathi
Summary: In this story, the medicine cat, Honeytail, must save her clan from an evil cat that is plotting to murder cats from all four clans. She must face a big challenge if she wants to do this. Meanwhile, a young apprentice named Diamondpaw faces clan troubles of her own
1. Chapter 2

Honeytail woke up early, before the sunrise. The air was damp and it was foggy, good weather for a walk. She slipped out of her den, and found Moonstar sorting out the dawn patrol underneath the Highstep. Honeytail slipped past the camp entrance, trying not to wake any sleeping cats. _Good, nobody saw me._

The dirt below her feet stuck to her pads as she leaped over puddles of muddy water. As Honeytail reached a small clearing, a dark, large cat was visible across the MountainClan border.

"Honeytail? Is that you?" The MountainClan cat purred.

"Tigerstripe! You came," Honeytail meowed to him.

"It's good to see you again."

"You too," Honeytail replied, "but I don't know how long it will be until another cat finds out about these secret meetings of ours. I am worried."

"Don't be. If any cat finds out, we can run away and make our own Clan!"

"But my Clan needs me! I couldn't just leave them like that. Who would train Oceanpaw and teach her the ways of StarClan?"

Tigerstripe walked over to Honeytail and silenced her with his tail. He then started play-fighting with her, as if they were still kits. They did this until both cats were tired, and ready to leave. Honeytail felt a little better, but the thought that another cat could find them wouldn't go away!

"I better go, before Moonstar sends out the dawn patrol and Oceanpaw starts looking for me." Honeytail said to Tigerstripe. He responded with a slight nod, and watched as Honeytail leaped back to her Clan.

_ I know I am breaking the Warrior Code, but it isn't _that _bad, is it?_

"Honeytail!" Starkit cried. She rushed over to Starkit to see what was wrong.

"Are you ok? Does your leg hurt?"

"Yes! Can you make it better pleaseeee?"

"I will. I have something that will soothe the pain on your cut," Honeytail meowed, "Oceanpaw? Can you fetch me some comfrey?"

As Honeytail comforted Starkit, Oceanpaw padded over with a mouthful of the roots. She chewed them into poultice and rubbed it gently onto Starkit's cut.

"It will feel better soon," Honeytail promised. "Oceanpaw, do you think you can handle everything in here? I am going to find some dock, we are running low."

"Yes Honeytail. I'll keep a good eye on Starkit!" Oceanpaw said playfully as Starkit batted at her ear.

While Honeytail walked along the path, the trees shook overhead, and leaves fell to the ground. They crunched beneath her feet, showing signs of Leaf-fall. She would smell something with a very strong scent, but couldn't make out what it was. The rabbit hole was empty, there were no cats trespassing, and there weren't any animals in sight!

Suddenly, Honeytail stopped dead in her tracks. She knew this scent too well- _foxes! _There was a slight rustle in the bushes, and out jumped four foxes!

As she ran towards the camp the jaws of the creatures snapped at her hind legs, making her run faster than she ever had.

"Help!" Honeytail wailed, "Foxes!"

Honeytail neared the camp, and took a sharp turn and led them away. Oaktail then bounded out of camp, followed by Pebblepool, Stoneclaw, and Nightpaw. The four cats chased after Honeytail, slashing and biting at the nasty foxes.

Stoneclaw leaped onto a fox that was snapping at Honeytail and chased it away into LakeClan territory. Pebblepool was having trouble getting another fox off of Nightpaw, until Oaktail bit down on its tail really hard, making it yelp in surprise. Pebblepool raked at its belly until it retreated, followed by the remaining foxes.

Honeytail rushed over to Nightpaw; he had been thrown off one of the foxes!

"Wow Nightpaw, you fought like a warrior today. I am going to have to report this good news to Berryleaf," Stoneclaw said as he praised the hurt apprentice.

Nightpaw purred in delight, happy to be complimented.

"I need to tell Moonstar about the foxes," Honeytail said as the cats padded back into camp.

"Honeytail! Nightpaw! What happened?" Lilypetal asked with fear in her voice.

"It's ok, we just chased four foxes into LakeClan," Honeytail said, out of breath, "Come, Nightpaw, we must take you to the medicine den and fix you up."

The two cats walked to the den, and she made Nightpaw a bed next to Starkit. Oceanpaw got cobwebs and Honeytail flopped down next to Nightpaw. Soon enough she found herself dozing off next to the apprentice.


	2. Chapter 1

Starkit tasted the air; rain would be coming soon. She wanted to sneek out before the storm arrived. She knew that if she was caught, there would be a big punishment, and Moonstar would be very dissapointed.

Her sense of adventure led her out of the Nursery, and soon enough she stumbled over the brambles at the entrance. Her pelt was covered in the brambles, but she carried on, climbing a steep slope that led to FireClan. Starkit had heard stories of them from long ago, and was terrified to go near their territory.

_If they caught me near their border, I would be dead._

The leaves were making strange noises above her, and she could hear prey all around.

_I feel like a warrior! This is amazing!_

As Starkit reached the top of the slope, she leaped ahead and felt her paws slip. She grasped for a loose branch, or rock, but there was nothing to stop her fall.

_I've fallen into a precipice!_

"Heeeeeeeelp!" she yowled, hoping a cat nearby had heard her.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Fawnflower askeed

"Look!" Duskfall meowed, "She is waking up!"

Starkit opened her eyes. _Oh no,_ she thought, _they found out._

"Starkit," Moonstar said, "are you hurt?"

"Yes," she replied, barely getting the words out, "my leg hurts so much!"

"We must take her straight to Honeytail," Moonstar ordered,"and make sure she never wanders out again!"

Shame pierced through her like a cold winter breeze. Starkit knew she was in a lot of trouble.

Once she was carried into the medicine den, the smell of herbs filled her mouth. Honeytail padded over to Starkit and put cobweb on her leg.

"You won't be able to walk until that leg is better," Honeytail said soothingly.

"How long will that be?" Starkit asked.

"It can take up to 3 moons, but don't worry, your little leg will heal fast."

_3 moons?! Will I _ever _become an apprentice like this?_

"Starkit?"

"Willowkit! It's so nice to see you."

"How is your leg?"

"It hurts, but the dock and comfrey made it feel much better."

Willowkit padded towards Starkit and started grooming her. She got all the brambles out of her coat, and then whispered to Starkit, "I was in the nursery and I heard Moonstar and Snowfeaether talking. They said something about not apprenticing you…"

"What?! How can that be!"

"I am not sure, but maybe I heard them wrong. Moonstar may just be delaying it."

_I can't believe it! No cat has never _not _been made an apprentice!_


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Starkit! Wake up!" Willowkit meowed to her sister. Starkit tried to bat her away with her paw, but Willowkit would stop poking at her. Starkit rolled over and saw that she had slept until sunhigh!

Her leg was still sore, although Honeytail said that Starkit was well enough to sleep in the nursery, as long as she rested. She licked her wound andall the scratches as Willowpaw talked to her.

'We are six moons old! That means we are being apprenticed!" Willowkit squealed .

"Willowkit, remember, I am not getting apprenticed," Starkit meowed and stuck her head in her wet, mossy bedding.

"That's completely mouse-brained! I think he was just angry at the time! And even if it was true, he's probably changed his mind."

"I doubt it. It'll be nearly 6 more moons until he even _thinks_ about making me an apprentice."

"Fox-dung!" Willowkit yapped at Starkit, and raced out of the nursery.

Starkit leaned towards the entrance of the nursery, and listened to Willowkit and their mother's conversation.

"Willowkit! I told you to stay in the nursery while I talked to Pebblepool!"

"But _I_ need to talk to you about something!" Willowkit squealed in protest.

Then Willowkit whispered something in her mothers ear that Starkit couldn't hear.

_I wonder what she said, but it seems like it was about me!_

Willowkit bounced back into the nursery and curled up next to Starkit. As her sister dozed off, Starkit thought about how she wasn't getting apprenticed.

_It's so unfair! _

Moonstar's voice rang out from the Highstep, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Highstep for a clan meeting!" Cats emerged everywhere from the camp, and they all came together beneath the place where Moonstar waited. She could feel Willowkit bound out from the nursery and leap toward the clan. Starkit padded after her sister sulkily.

_At least somebody is getting apprenticed today._

Moonstar motioned for Willowkit to stand beside him, and then he also motioned to Starkit. Her eyes went wide with surprise.

_I'm being apprenticed?! I guess Willowkit was right._

"By naming apprentices, we show that RockClan will survive and remain strong. Willowkit, from now on you will be known as Willowpaw. Pebblepool, you are ready for an apprentice. You will be Willowpaw's mentor."

Pebblepool strode up next to Willowpaw. There was pride in both of their eyes as she licked her new apprentice.

_Now it's my turn!_

Starkit held her head high as Moonstar said, "Starkit, from now on you will be known as Starpaw. Sunsplash, your time has come to finally have an apprentice. You will be mentor to Starpaw."

Oceanpaw started the cheer, until the whole clan started chanting, "Willowpaw, Starpaw!"

After everyone had calmed down, Starpaw leaped over to Sunsplash, greeting him with a swift lick.

"Sunsplash! Can we go explore the territory?" Starpaw asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Calm down little apprentice," she pured with amusement, "Of course we can go explore! You know, I remember when I was made an apprentice. I was as excited as you!"

Starpaw leaped towards the exit, followed by her mentor. Sunsplash showed Starpaw the borders and where to set markers. He even showed her some of the best hunting spots!

By the time they got back, it was almost moonhigh!

"I am going to get a piece of fresh-kill. Would you like me to get you something?" Sunsplash asked Starpaw.

"Anything! I am starving!" Starpaw replied. She padded into the apprenices den and found an empty nest near Willowpaw's.

Sunsplash walked in and dropped a vole next to Starpaw. She nodded a 'thank you' and ate the fresh-kill. After she had finished her meal, she rested her head on the moss and dozed off into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Honeytail was dreaming.

She walked through unfamiliar grounds, for she had never dreamed about this place before. There were few trees, the ground was wet, and the sky was dark. The sun went down behind the tall rocks in the she was a kit, the elders told her stories about these tall rocks, which were called mountains.

Honeytail padded through the land, wondering why she was dreaming about such strange things. Before she could react, a large fire came tearing through the grassy area where she was standing.

It surrounded her, and out of the fire stepped Tigerstripe. He had many burns and patches of fur were missing from all over his body. She tried to speak, but the smoke stabbed her, making it impossible to do anything. Honeytail watched as Tigerstripe was eaten in the flames. He twisted and turned but could not escape the terrible thing that was killing him.

Honeytail couldn't move; her paws were stuck to the ground. Right in front of her eyes the flames were transformeed into water, making large, beautiful waves all around her. They spread throughout the land, and as they grew calm, an ancient StarClan cat accended from the skies above.

"My name is Firestar," he said to her, "and I come with no harm. I am a great leader of the ancient ThunderClan. I have come to warn you. When I was leader, there existed four clans: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. Many years after I died those clans were killed by horrible things that I must not speak of. StarClan then made a new four clans, that you now have today: RockClan, FireClan, LakeClan, and GraniteClan. I have come to warn that you have a choice to make, and if you choose the wrong one, you clans will also be killed. Here are your choices: You may run away with Tigerstripe, and will not be able to come back to your clan. You will lose all contact with StarClan, but you will get to be with Tigerstripe.

"If you choose to stay with your clan and stay away from Tigerstripe, you will have to face a big problem in your clan. A cat will turn evil, and try to kill all the clans. You must find a way to stop this evil cat. It is your choice, and I hope you choose wisely. Always remember: StarClan is with you, my dear Honeytail."

Firestar faded away into the sky, and a voice from the sky whispered to her, "Love or loyalty, you must decide before your time runs out."

_Love or loyalty, you must decide before your time runs out. What's that supposed to mean?!_

The dream went black as Oceanpaw shook Honeytail awake.


	5. Chapter 5

** Hi guys! I am so excited about this chapter, because this time I made it really(in my terms) long! I hope you enjoy!**

Diamondpaw finished her fresh-kill, and then padded over to where her sister, Willowpaw, was sitting. The sun was going to be setting soon, and she could hear the owls already making noises in the trees. There was a slight breeze that carried through the forest and made the trees rustle overhead.

"Do you think we'll get to go to the Gathering today?" Diamondpaw asked Willowpaw. There was a slight pause before the she-cat responded.

"I wouldn't get too excited. My guess is that Moonstar is still mad at you. He seemed pretty furious the other night."

"Yeah, but you know him, he changes his mind a lot. You even said so yourself."

"I guess," Willowpaw said, with a bored tone.

"Have you noticed anything weird about Moonstar lately? I mean, it seems like he has acted quite oddly around all the clan. I walked by him the other day and he gave me a dirty look. And I didn't even do anything! I was just going out to hunt!"

"No, I haven't noticed anything "weird" about him. I'm sure he's fine. He probably isn't really happy now. I can't blame him, it's almost leaf-bare."

"Ok, so you're sure that nothing is suspicious about him? And what about his friend, Oaktail. I heard he has also been acting weird lately. Soon everyone in the clan is going to be acting weirdly, and I'll be the only normal cat."

"Diamondpaw, that's enough. Do you know how crazy you sound rambling on like that? Maybe you're the cat who's acting weird."

Diamondpaw just sighed and turned away and ran off to the apprentice's den.

_ My sister just doesn't understand._

* * *

Willowpaw shook Diamondpaw awake.

"Diamondpaw! It's time to go to the Gathering. You just fell asleep here without telling me. I was looking everywhere for you."

Diamondpaw rolled over and stretched out her legs. She was still hurting from her fox-brained kit accident.

"Diamondpaw, we have to go _now_!" Willowpaw ordered.

The stubborn cat finally jumped out of bed and ran off into the clearing, where Moonstar was waiting with the other cats going to the Gathering. Moonstar was sorting through all the cats, making sure everyone was there. The leader padded over to Diamondpaw and Willowpaw.

"Oh_ Willowpaw._ I thought I already told you; you have to stay in camp and clean out all the dens," Moonstar said.

"But Moonstar, you said I could go with Diamondpaw so we could spend our first Gathering together!" Willowpaw protested.

"And I changed my mind. Go clean the dens! NOW!" Moonstar snapped at her. Diamondpaw just watched in shock as the two cats shot each other furious looks.

"Moonstar," Diamondpaw said, "was that really necessary? My sister was really excited about going, and now she can't."

"Shut your mouth, Diamondpaw, or you aren't going to the Gathering either. Or the next one, and the one after that, and all you could ever dream of," Moonstar growled.

Diamondpaw muttered an insult under her breath, and then she followed her clanmates through a twisted path that led to the large, flat rocks where Gatherings were held. The clans called this place the Rocklands.

Once the clan had climbed over a massive dead tree, she could start to smell other cats. They were nothing like she'd ever scented before, but Diamondpaw thought it was really fascinating.

Soon Diamondpaw could see the Rocklands. It was beautiful; the sun was setting, and the light reflected on the rocks, making them look pink and grey.

The leaders of all four clans stood on tall rocks a few fox-lengths away. Moonstar began the Gathering, "I am glad you all are here tonight, welcome. RockClan is pleased to welcome two new apprentices, Willowpaw and Diamondpaw, although Willowpaw couldn't come tonight." Cheers of joy and congratulations spread across the sea of cats.

Moonstar nodded to Drizzlestar, a que for her to begin.

"We have no news to report. The food has been plentiful, thank StarClan," said the soft voice of the GraniteClan leader.

Littlestar stepped forward and began, "Tonight FireClan is pleased to announce that we have a new warrior, Thornheart!" The cheers from the cats broke out again, but this time they ended much quicker, and Diamondpaw knew why. An angry-looking Froststar spoke, "LakeClan is not doing well. We don't have a lot of fish on our side of the stream because they only go to GraniteClan's side. We are nearly starving ourselves. We want all the land with the other side of the stream. It runs through your little pathetic mountains!"

"Froststar, that is nearly half out land! My clan and I know that you have plenty of fish, for we always see your clan catch them. They catch three, eat two, and only bring one or _none_ back to your clan. If you were to ask me, it sounds like you're having your own clan problems, or maybe you are just trying to trick us. You may not have the land that has the other half of the stream," Drizzlestar replied.

Froststar growled and got ready to attack the GraniteClan leader.

"No fighting! Look at the sky above you. The moon is covered, and now StarClan is disappointed. The Gathering is over!" Littlestar yowled.

_ I was hoping to go and meet some of the other apprentices, but things took a bad turn._


End file.
